Just Business?
by Silver Sin of The Cosmos
Summary: Sango Taijiya doesn't have time for love. Point blank. Not to brag, but she's the CEO of the biggest multinational conglomerate in armor and weapons making, and as such, she just doesn't have the time for a love life. Her best friend Kagome Higurashi is worried for her, and one day hires a male sex worker, Miroku Houshi, to 'satisfy her needs'. Full sum inside. Cover photo not mine
1. Chapter 1

HI! I had this idea on a whim once upon a night probably (I can't remember) and that's pretty much all there is to it. Well, that and I basically imagined the InuYasha cast in Pretty Woman, with a few edits here and there.

Full summary: Sango Taijiya doesn't have time for love. Point blank. Not to brag, but she's the CEO and founder of the biggest multinational conglomerate that specializes in armor and weapons making, and as such, she simply doesn't have the time of day for a love life. Her best friend Kagome Higurashi is worried for her, and one day hires a male sex worker, Miroku Houshi, to 'satisfy her needs'. He is to charm her out of her designer Tahari pantsuit, and slowly dismantle the emotional barrier she has put up around her heart.

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, all rights are reserved for Rumiko Takahashi and affiliates.

Chapter one: Craigslist To The Rescue

* * *

"Sango?"

A punch. "Yeah?" One more.

"Don't ya think you should-" Kagome flinches as Sango lands another fierce punch to the punching bag, hoping it doesn't break. This is the _fifth_ one in two months. "-maybe take it easy?" She continues, and thankfully, her friend stops battering the equipment long enough to give her her full attention. "Hear me out, okay? I know you're a CEO and you're constantly busy, but you've gotten **maybe** twelve hours of sleep in a collective three days, and it's showing." The blackette gestures openly at the dark circles under Sango's eyes that she has been trying to hide under expensive concealer.

"You know I can't do that." Sango rebukes, although she doesn't deny her lack of sleep. It would be pretty hard to anyway, what with how much of her Mac concealer has been artfully caked on her face in an attempt to hide the evidence of her long hours. Kagome's jaw clenches, her nostrils subtly flaring as she narrows her dark eyes at her friend.

"_Do I?_ Sango, PLEASE just take a day or two off! Let your assistant handle things for once! You are going to run yourself into an early grave; I would know!" Kagome isn't kidding. As the first-born child of Mamoru and Sakurako Higurashi, she was the heir to the Higurashi Corporation, which meant she _also_ had to bear the intense weight of an entire business on her shoulders. Souta was lucky he was so bad at math, he'd never inherit the company, and thus never have to know the absolutely mind-numbing horror of running a corporation. If anyone would know the horrors of being the benefactor and CEO of a multimillion dollar conglomerate company, it would be Kagome. Sango lets Kagome drag her to the bench and sit her down, clasping the older girl's wrapped hands in hers.

"Sango, you're not just ignoring your own health, you're ignoring us. Everyone's so busy lately. Ever since Aya started her Lunar Rainbow line, she's been too wrapped up in fashion shows and interviews and late-night designing sessions to hang out. And with Rin being _the _number one wedding planner in Tokyo, she can't hang out either. You know she's still up to her neck in issues with Kagura Kaze and Sesshomaru Takashi's upcoming wedding, right? Kagura is nice and all, but she's a bridezilla if I've ever seen one, and she's running poor Rin ragged. I can't even rely on my parents or brother either. Mama and Daddy are in Italy on important business, and Souta is constantly training since he was signed with the Samurai Blues. The last thing I heard from him was almost a month ago! He's engaged. I only heard thanks to him calling at four am to scream that 'she said yes!'. Let Serina handle things for once. You know she's dying to help you any way she can." Kagome doesn't enjoy guilting people into bending to her whim unless she felt it was necessary. And this was necessary. So she pulled up her patent-pending, one-hundred percent success rate Puppy-Dog-Eyes™ and turned them immediately on her friend. Sango held out admirably, but after a few seconds, she relented with a world-worn sigh.

"You're a devil, you know that right?"

"Yes," Kagome agrees amiably, "But I also know that I'm a **_correct_** devil, and that makes all the difference."

"Ugh! Fine, you little devil. I'll take the day off." And with this, Kagome is all smiles, clapping her hands exuberantly.

"Great! Take a shower, get changed, and meet me in the lobby! Don't you dare go back to work today either, or I'll call your mother!" Kagome then skips out of the training room, leaving Sango sitting on the bench and cursing her friend mentally.

In the elevator ride down, Kagome smirks to herself. Sango's a tough person, period. Twisting her arm is a very hard thing to do, even as her best friend. But, she's also wicked smart, and can find a loophole in almost anything. Kagome knows her best friend. She'll take the day off, like she said she would, but then she'd be right back at the same old grind of a twelve hour work day by tomorrow. And that's a slow day for her.

An old woman gets on the elevator from floor five, a rambunctious seventy five year old by the name of Amaya. "Hi, Amaya." Kagome greets with a smile. Amaya is great. She's not like any other elderly woman Kagome's ever known. She's wild and rambunctious and refuses to be told what to do.

"Hello, dear. How's your day been?"

"Alright, except my best friend, that huge CEO, isn't giving herself enough breaks and I'm wracking my brain trying to find a way for her to chill out." Amaya stares at her for several seconds, and then one of the oddest things comes out of her mouth.

"Why not try the 'Pretty Woman' angle?" Kagome gives the woman a double take.

"The what?" Amaya laughs.

"The Pretty Woman angle. Don't tell me you've never heard of it!" At Kagome's dumbfounded look, Amaya sighs. "You remember how Vivian was hired to pretend to be Edward's girlfriend, right?" Kagome nods. "Well why not try that now? Craigslist it or something, I'm sure there's someone in need of a job, and it sounds like your friend needs to learn how to take a break." The elevator reaches ground floor and Amaya stalks out with a spring in her step, grinning at Kagome over her shoulder. "You'll figure it out, Sweetie. Tata!"

Numbly, the black-haired woman steps out of the elevator, the gears in her head turning as she pieces through what she's just heard. A smirk spreads across her lips as a plan, a nefarious one, is hatched in her brain, and she grabs her phone from her purse.

Craigslist, huh?

* * *

And that's chapter one! Join me next time because this is gonna be a wild ride! Tell me what you think of this idea!

-FH19


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, all rights are reserved for Rumiko Takahashi and affiliates.

Chapter two: Thank God For Them Internets?

* * *

Miroku sighs, shutting the door to his apartment, leaning against it to groan. His landlady Koyuki was a nightmare to deal with ever since a date gone wrong. She was a nice enough woman, he admits, but she moved way too fast for him. On their first date, she started listing off names of their future children, and then got mad when he told her he was uncomfortable with her saying things like that. He'd made the mistake of giving her his phone number, and she called and texted several times a day. Finally, he'd had to just change his number.

Still, she has a legitimate reason to be on his ass _this_ time; rent. He's behind on rent. He needs a job, badly. Anything. And what's the catch all for jobs when you need them quick? Craigslist! Practically running to his laptop, he opens it and boots it up, waiting impatiently for the desktop to load so he can open his slower than molasses browser. Curse the fifty-fifty wifi speed in this complex. Once the browser is on Craigslist, he cracks his knuckles and dives deep into the land of odd job listings. Skipping past all the seedy or just downright weird ads (thank you, ad of offering free imitation crab meat and jerking off on a trainset, but _no thanks_), he's almost ready to pull his own eyeballs out with spoons. His eyes stray to the clock on his bedside table. It's been twenty minutes since he started. Good god, why did he have to use this hell site? Why does everyone on Craigslist have to be a giant weirdo?

Wait!

Finally, one catches his eye, and he clicks on it to find more information.

_'Wanted! Mid-late 20's male to romantically pursue my best friend (in a not creepy way, thank you). She takes her work very seriously and doesn't give herself time to relax at all. It is your job to get her to relax by becoming sort of a constant figure in her everyday life, thus giving her a reason to drop her emotional barriers and finally relax for more than a day at a time. Requirements include but are not limited to: _

_*Must not have a criminal record or been arrested_

_*Must be healthy_

_*Must be physically strong. My best friend has won several boxing matches against experienced boxers, enough said. _

_*Sense of humor_

_Serious inquiries only. I can be contacted for further information at 08-XXX-XXXX' _

Well this is certainly interesting. It's an odd job if he's ever seen one, that's for sure. But Miroku's in need for a job, desperately in fact, and he doesn't exactly have enough padding in his wallet to be picky when it comes to job offers. So he swipes his phone up from the desk and dials the number, hoping that this isn't just some joke to make him look like a fool.

The call connects and a woman picks up on the other end, her voice rich and pleasant. "Hello, this is Kagome Higurashi, how may I help you?"

He blanks for a second, every thought in his mind screeching to a halt. Did she just say Kagome Higurashi? The heir of the Higurashi conglomerate? "Hello?" She repeats, her tone now curious with just a tad of annoyance.

"Oh! I'm sorry, just zoned out for a second. My name is Miroku, and I saw the ad you posted on Craigslist?" He really hopes she actually did post the ad herself, and that he wasn't being catfished. It would really suck if that were the case.

"Oh thank god!" She exclaims, leaving him quite confused. "It's been three days and no one answered, I thought it was a lost cause! Yes, I'm Kagome, nice to meet you, Miroku..." She trails off, and he knows she needs his name.

"Houshi. Miroku Houshi." He offers and can vaguely hear the sound of fingers clicking on a keyboard. She's probably running a background check on him to make sure he isn't a total wackjob. It's fair, he would do the same if their roles were reversed, but he can't say he enjoys it per se, no matter how necessary it is because of where the job is posted and what it entails. "So, I read the ad, but I'm still a bit unclear on what this job entails me to do?"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. I didn't want to just unleash sensitive information all over the internet. We can meet at a local cafe. How does Nazuna's Cupcake House at one thirty tomorrow sound?" Quickly checking his schedule, and finding that it worked surprisingly well, he agreed and the date was set.

"So I'll see you tomorrow and explain everything then. If you still want the job, you'll be compensated about six thousand dollars per week, does that sound good?"

Instantly the sound of a cash register rang in his mind and he grinned widely. "Yes! That sounds perfect."

"Lovely, I'll see you tomorrow at one-thirty, Mr. Houshi." The call disconnects and Miroku leans back in his chair, grinning like the cat that got the cream.

Maybe he won't be evicted after all.

...

The meet time comes almost too soon for Miroku, and he looks around the cafe, feeling all sorts of misplaced. Not only is the whole place decked out from head to toe in cupcakes, doilies and roses seem to be a staple in how they're literally _everywhere_. On the tabletops, on the counter, in the shop window, in the display case..it's a bit much for him. "Mr. Houshi?" Hearing his name, he turns around to see none other than Kagome Higurashi herself, giving him a polite smile. He stands and they bow to each other, exchanging a handshake before sitting down.

"I was almost worried I'd been played for a fool there," He jokes, hoping to ease the awkwardness. To his relief, she cracks a small lopsided grin.

"I can tell. You looked like a virgin in a whorehouse." It takes all he has to not spray his water out on her, his throat on fire as he trucks on like a trooper and swallows down his drink. He's still shocked, and his throat is sore, but at least he hadn't humiliated a socialite in a public place.

"I-I'm sorry?" She bursts out laughing at his dumbfounded look.

"Sorry, sorry, nevermind me. Onto more pressing matters, the ad." Instantly, he tuned in and listened carefully. "My best friend Sango works herself to the bone everyday, and it's starting to weigh on her health. I don't know how to make her stop for more than a day at a time, because she's just so stubborn. Her father left the company to her, and made her promise to keep it afloat. She always manages to find a loophole when I make her promise to take time off, and it infuriates me to no end because she's going to put herself in an early grave at this rate. Your job is to basically woo her, just enough that her work doesn't monopolize her life. She has insane work hours, even I don't work that often."

"And I'm assuming she knows none of this?" Kagome nods decisively, and takes a sip of her chai latte.

"Yes. She'd probably kill me if she knew I'd hired some random stranger from Craigslist to basically become her boyfriend without her knowledge. Now, I'm hoping you can meet her either tomorrow or the day after, but I'm sure we can work something out. Here's your first pay installment." She reaches into her blazer and pulls out an envelope, handing it to him. "Inside is a check for six thousand dollars, and there's an extra three hundred in bills as a thank you."

He nods, sliding the envelope in his coat pocket, making a mental note to hand that to Koyuki as soon as he gets home so she can get off his ass. "Now, I don't have any preference for how you get her attention, only that you keep it. But you can't be overbearing, jealous, a stalker, or a creepy sociopathic murderer. Understand?" He nods, feeling sweat bead on the back of his neck. She hasn't mentioned the fact that he's basically a prostitute, and he honestly hopes she doesn't bring it up at all. He isn't very fond of his job on a good day, but if it pays the bills (which it hasn't been lately, to be honest) he can't really complain.

"Alright, that sounds fair enough. I guess I'll call and let you know when I meet her?" Kagome nods. Then, her professional guise drops just the tiniest bit, leaving him gaping at the face of a woman worried for her friend.

"Thank you for this, really. I wouldn't have gone to these extremes unless I felt it were absolutely necessary, but desperate times call for desperate measures, ya know?" Miroku nods, he can understand that. It's why he'd put his foster father Mushin in rehab after his last three-day alcohol binge. It had hurt to do that, but he didn't ever want to see the old man do something dangerous that could effect his and Miroku's lives at the same time. Last he checked, the old man was three months sober and was making significant progress. He got letters from him occasionally, but it wasn't often since the patient was supposed to focus on themselves.

"So, thank you for explaining things further. I think you can count on me, Miss Higurashi." She nodded.

"Thank _you_, Mister Houshi, for helping me with this." With this, the two part ways, and Miroku is left pondering a plan on how to do this.

He just hopes she won't kill him.

* * *

And that wraps chapter to up, stay tuned for chapter three! Yes, that ad of imitation crab meat and jerking off was a reference to a _real _Craigslist ad. Believe me. Joe Santagato from YouTube reviews Craigslist ads and he saw this one and made hilarious commentary about it. I love that series. The people on Craigslist are weird..

Side note; HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2020! *starts messing around with party favor bullshit*

See you next chapter!

-FH19


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, all rights are reserved for Rumiko Takahashi and affiliates.

Chapter three: And the Urgent Care too

* * *

"Grande double shot mocha!" Miroku sighs, standing and going to the counter. "Venti triple shot dark roast!" He grabs his order, vaguely noting the hand of a woman reaching for the other cup that was just placed on the counter.

As he's grabbing his jacket, he notices that the woman he'd seen at the counter is none other than the one Kagome needed him to 'woo'. Lovely. How's he going to do this? Suave one-liner or the classic 'you dropped this' move?

His question is answered all too quickly as he bumps into her on accident, somehow managing to spill both his coffee _and _hers all on himself. He yelps, already feeling the scorching pain of scalding hot coffee soaking his shirt and burning his skin. "Oh my god! Are you okay?" He hears her ask and he shakes his head in a firm 'NO'. "Come with me, there's an Urgent Care across the street!" He lets her drag him out of the coffee shop and over to the medical facility, hearing pretty much nothing but white noise. His skin still burns, and his shirt is uncomfortably hot, and he can't tell if the November air is making him feel better or not. All he knows is that even from the back, she's beautiful.

She's gorgeous at any angle. Thank god Kagome didn't set him up to romance some withered crone.

...

They ended up spending a few hours at that Urgent Care. And getting treated for burns hurts like hell, Miroku discovered. It was about thirty minutes after being taken to a room to be seen that Sango had dipped out into the hall to call her assistant. It couldn't have taken more than five minutes before she was returning to the patient room where Miroku's chest was being treated for those first degree burns. She hoped he wouldn't sue, that wouldn't do her or the reputation of her company any good. "You know, Miss, I know I'm hot stuff, but the coffee was a bit unnecessary." He grins at her cheekily and she blinks owlishly, wondering if he's maybe gone into shock from the pain or just naturally that ridiculous.

Seeing an opportunity, Miroku gains the nurse's attention. "Excuse me, Miss? Could I please get a Band-Aid?" Locking eyes with Sango, he grins wildly. "Because I scraped my knees when I fell for her." He watches with a mad grin on his face as Sango's flushes a pretty pink, still shell-shocked.

The nurse giggles indulgently. "Well Miss," She says to Sango, "You sure have a sweet-talker for a boyfriend." Shocked and unsure of how to respond, she keeps her mouth shut. Miroku grins to himself, expression only breaking as the skin on his chest tingles painfully.

After finally being discharged, Miroku and Sango are making their way out of the building. "I'm still very sorry, Mister Houshi. Honestly." She says genuinely.

"That's alright. You didn't have to pay for my bill, though." He smiles. The bandages on his chest are itchy. Miroku can feel a couple of aspirin calling his name at home.

"Of course I did, it was the right thing to do. I spilled my coffee on you, so it's only right that I pay for your treatment." Rooting around in her purse for a moment, she yanks out a card. "This is the number for my office. In case you need insurance information, just call that." She says, awkwardly handing him the card. His hand is careful to brush against hers as he retrieves it, giving her a charming wink.

"You have my eternal gratitude, My Lady." He purrs, watching as her face turns bright red.

"Y-yes, well, uh..Have a good day!" She sputters, whirling around and making a speedy exit. He watches her leave, grinning wildly.

This'll be one fun job.

* * *

**Well, I'm sorry that took so long, and that this chapter is so short! I'm sort of strung thin at the moment, what with The Lucky Seven and All In The Family. I also have two other WIP's that I need to tend to. **

**Thanks for your patience, and I'll be back with a hopefully longer chapter soon!**

**-Silver Sin**


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